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New service for regional radio advertisers

Advertisers targeting consumers in regional Australia will for the first time have access to a new reach and frequency tool for regional radio.

The service, launched by industry body Commercial Radio Australia, uses sophisticated modelling and data from more than 80 regional radio surveys conducted in 51 markets to help agencies calculate optimal reach and frequency combinations for their advertising campaigns.

CRA chief executive officer Joan Warner said the service provides media buyers with information such as how different station combinations impact on reach, the most effective budget allocations by dayparts and how much additional spend increases reach.

“Reach and frequency are the most important measures used in radio as they allow stations and the advertising community to estimate how many listeners have heard an advertising campaign.

“This new tool will allow regional broadcasters to showcase the strength of their audiences in a more sophisticated fashion and provide information that has only previously been available for the metropolitan markets,” she said.

The tool was developed by Milton Data and draws on consumer behavior insights from the larger metropolitan radio surveys as well as data from all regional radio surveys undertaken since 2014, when CRA introduced a new system allowing for more regular regional radio audience measurement.

Agencies can access the service through Frequency, a CRA Gold Standard certified software system and via regional broadcasters.

The regional radio stations surveyed to date reach more than 5.5 million Australians aged 10+. Data is available for larger markets such as Darwin, Cairns, Wollongong, Sunshine Coast and Dubbo, as well as smaller markets including Wangaratta, Mandurah and Mt Gambier.

CEASA figures show regional radio attracted advertising expenditure of $382.5 million in 2018.